REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

STATE MONIES PROVIDED TO THE DISCOVERY
PARTNERS INSTITUTE AND THE ILLINOIS
INNOVATION NETWORK

PERFORMANCE AUDIT

Release Date:  August 18, 2026

State of Illinois, Office of the Auditor
General
CHRISTOPHER B. MEISTER, AUDITOR GENERAL

To obtain a copy of the Report contact:
Office of the Auditor General, 400 West
Monroe, Suite 306, Springfield, IL
62704-9849
(217) 782-6046 or TTY (888) 261-2887

This Report Digest and Full Report are
also available on the worldwide web at
www.auditor.illinois.gov

BACKGROUND:

On April 29, 2025, the Legislative Audit
Commission adopted Resolution Number 168,
which directed the Office of the Auditor
General to conduct a performance audit of
the State monies provided to the Discovery
Partners Institute and the Illinois
Innovation Network to examine the
entities’ purpose and handling of funds
appropriated by the General Assembly (see
Appendix A).

The Illinois Innovation Network and its
primary hub, the Discovery Partners
Institute, were developed to accelerate
innovation, job creation, and economic
growth throughout Illinois and consists of
15 hubs across the State, including hubs
at public universities and one independent
nonprofit hub. On October 10, 2024, the
University instructed the Director of the
Capital Development Board to stop
construction on the Discovery Partners
Institute headquarters. On October 18,
2024, the University of Illinois System
President announced that construction for
the new headquarters at The 78 in downtown
Chicago had stopped. Under the
University’s new vision, a new location
called the Discovery Partners Institute
South would be established at the planned
Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park
while maintaining the Discovery Partners
Institute’s current downtown Chicago
headquarters.

Key Findings:

• Auditors identified 68 payments for the
Discovery Partners Institute headquarters
and 225 payments for all the additional
Illinois Innovation Network hubs combined.
Auditors reviewed supporting documentation
provided by the Capital Development Board
for each payment and determined that
payments were adequate, accurate,
appropriate, and were properly monitored
by Capital Development Board.
Additionally, auditors found that each
payment from FY23 through FY25 was
accountable and appeared accurately on the
Illinois Office of the Comptroller’s
website.

• As of June 2025, $57.4 million of State
appropriations were expended for the
Illinois Innovation Network hubs, not
including the Discovery Partners Institute
headquarters. The expenditures from the
$500 million in capital funding
appropriated to support the development of
the Discovery Partners Institute and the
statewide Illinois Innovation Network
totaled $13.1 million, while expenditures
from other State appropriations totaled
$44.3 million.

• From FY18 through FY25, $11,815,882 in
State appropriations were used for the
DPI’s administrative and operational
personnel costs. Additionally, $37,918,782
was expended by the State for the design
and construction costs for the Discovery
Partners Institute headquarters through
FY25. Therefore, total State funds used
for the Discovery Partners Institute were
$49.7 million.

• The Discovery Partners Institute made
progress toward achieving its established
goals. According to the University of
Illinois, its established goals were 1)
applied and translational research; 2)
research-driven entrepreneurship and
commercialization; and 3) talent
development for the next-generation
workforce. A five-year summary report on
the progress since inception for the three
core goals was provided by the University
of Illinois.

The audit report contained no
recommendations directed at the University
of Illinois or the Capital Development
Board. This performance audit was
conducted by the staff of the Office of
the Auditor General.